Core-Corona Structure Formed by Hyaluronic Acid and Poly(L-lysine) via Kinetic Path

The structure and kinetics of the complex formed by hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(L-lysine) (PLL) were studied by time-resolved laser light scattering, TEM, and AFM. Because HA has a hydrophilic backbone, the complexes formed by HA and PLL are different from those formed by oppositely charged polyelectrolytes both having hydrophobic backbones. Instead of forming strong aggregates and even precipitates, the complex in the presence of excess HA is stable in the studied time period. More importantly, the complex spontaneously forms core-corona structure by the rearrangement of HA chains. The core is composed of complex rich of PLL and the corona is mainly HA. Further analysis shows that the hydrogen bond formed by HA creates a barrier hindering the further relaxation of HA chains. The automatic formation of core-corona structure by PLL/HA is helpful not only to understand the relaxation of polyelectrolyte in complex, but also to develop drug carriers with desirable properties.